George II of Great Britain
George Augustus, also known as George II, was the King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. Fat, greedy and extravagant, King George was not a popular ruler. The most notable of his many loyal subjects and officials were Lord John Carteret and Prime Minister Henry Pelham. Around the War Against Piracy, King George sent Lord Cutler Beckett to the Caribbean, as his duly appointed representative, to wipe out piracy. Although Beckett was given an armada, the pirates of the Brethren Court would ultimately achieve victory. At some point after the war, Hector Barbossa would offer his services to the Crown and serve as a privateer of the King's court, becoming a trusted advisor. In 1750, because of his hatred of King Ferdinand of Spain, King George would gain interest in finding the Fountain of Youth, upon learning that the Spanish had located the legendary spring. Though he originally wanted Jack Sparrow to guide an expedition to the Fountain, King George would send Barbossa to find the Fountain. Biography Early life In his youth, George II was given London's Leicester House as his primary royal London residence, and was forbidden from returning to St. James's Palace by his father, King George I, due to the many clashes between them. Once his father was out of the way, George II was crowned as the new King of England and made St. James's Palace his primary residence in London. Once taking the throne, King George II would rule throughout the 18th century, where he lived in his grand and elegant residence with his royal guards and many loyal subjects and advisors. He would spend most of his time in the dining room, meeting guests of honor or eating from the royal banqueting table. One of the entrances also served as an enormous mural featuring King George II himself.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' King of Great Britain and Ireland Troubles with pirates Some time after the battle of the Isla de Muerta, the King ordered Captain Oliver Randolph Pynce-Jones III to exterminate all pirates in the Caribbean waters.Enter... the Scarecrow! Beckett's offensive Shortly before Lord Cutler Beckett arrived to Port Royal, the King provided him with Letters of Marque, which the King himself signed, to offer pirate Jack Sparrow a full pardon and commission him as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company. But Beckett's plan was unsuccessful, as former commodore James Norrington was able to turn in the letters signed, as well as presenting the heart of Davy Jones to Beckett.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest War Against Piracy After Beckett captured Davy Jones' heart, thereby gaining control of the Flying Dutchman, the King made Beckett his representative. This gave Beckett a deal of great power and command over the armada, which included many soldiers and vessels of the Royal Navy, which he assembled in his attempt to rid the world of the Brethren Court and all other pirates on the Seven Seas, initiating the War Against Piracy. However, Beckett's plans ultimately failed when the Flying Dutchman switched sides after the death of Davy Jones. This in turn resulted in the deaths of Beckett and the majority of the Endeavour's crew, which then resulted in the armada's retreat.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End The only known surviving crew member of the Endeavour was Lieutenant Theodore Groves, who would return to England. Quest for the Fountain of Youth The Spanish On 1750, the 23rd year of his reignNote this portion of the Pirate Execution sign, "On this day in the 23rd year of His Majesty's Reign". On Stranger Tides, in which this sign is used, takes place during the reign of King George II. As real-world history revealed that King George took the throne in 1727. That would mean King George's 23rd year in the throne would be in 1750., King George II would receive a report that King Ferdinand of Spain had located the Fountain of Youth. The King wanted the legendary spring found before the Spanish, as he didn't want a Catholic to gain eternal life. At some point prior to this, the British would have already employed Hector Barbossa, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, as a privateer, where he would later have gained King George's trust and became a loyal servant. Barbossa would be given captaincy over the [[HMS Providence|HMS Providence]], in which he would lead the search for the Fountain. But first, King George needed someone to guide an expedition. Meeting with Jack Sparrow .]] Soon King George would have learned from his ministers that Jack Sparrow was recruiting a crew to undertake a voyage to the Fountain of Youth.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization) Usually, the King and his policy makers would not strike a deal with a common pirate like Jack, but these were exceptional times. And so, after Jack Sparrow was arrested outside of St. James's Palace, the King's Royal Guards literally dragged the pirate into the palace where he would meet with King George himself in the dining room. Followed by his loyal subjects, particularly Lord John Carteret and Prime Minister Henry Pelham, King George heaved his bulk into his personal throne on the other side of the table, opposite of Jack. with King George and Jack Sparrow.]] The meeting began with much confusion on if Jack Sparrow was the "real" Jack Sparrow. And Jack couldn't recognize King George by face nor name, even after Pelham gave Jack an introduction. After Jack made too much rattling with his chains within the room, an annoyed King George ordered Jack's chains to be removed. The King and his advisors then asked Jack if he had a map and if he could guide an expedition to the Fountain. Although Jack realized his map was gone, he revealed that he knew the way to the Fountain well enough if they were to provide a ship and crew. The King then had Jack introduced to the peg-legged captain of the expedition: his old nemesis, Hector Barbossa. Jack and Barbossa had a brief reunion until Jack angrily reacted to Barbossa's brief telling of having lost his beloved Pearl, in which he was restrained by two guards. King George then resumed the matter of Barbossa completing his mission before the Spanish succeeded. 's escape.]] It was at that moment that Jack Sparrow made one of his legendary escapes while surrounded by royal guards and a room full of shocked advisors. The King was pulled back as Jack ran across the banqueting table, trampling and spoiling the food. Jack would eventually grab onto the chandelier and swing across the room, in which the King, Barbossa, and the King's advisors stared at the seemingly impossible escape. Jack made it to the balcony, and grabbed the creme puff that was stuck on the chandelier and ate it as he left. While the Royal Guards went after Jack, King George reacted to the pirate's escape, but Barbossa assured him that he'd have it taken care of. However, Jack Sparrow would have ultimately escaped the King's guards. With the pressing issue of the Spanish outdistancing them towards the Fountain, the King sent Barbossa to find the Fountain aboard the Providence, where he was joined by the best-drilled crew that the finest officers of the Admiralty could produce. But King George didn't realize the Spanish's true intentions with the Fountain. In the end, the Spanish were successful in their mission to destroy the Fountain of Youth. The British, however, while inspired by being "King's men", either died or deserted by the end of the quest, with Barbossa himself returning to piracy. Personality and traits King George was greedy, cowardly, arrogant, extravagant and more interested in exotic food than foreign policy. He issued heavy taxes which left some of his subjects penniless and hungry. The King also had some prejudices towards the Spanish, particularly those of the Catholic faith (being a Lutheran), as he stated during his meeting with Jack Sparrow on the quest for the Fountain of Youth: "I will not have some melancholy Spanish Monarch—a Catholic—gain eternal life!" King George seemed to love gambling, as shown by taking the risk of dealing with pirates like Hector Barbossa, who became a trusted advisor, and Jack Sparrow. King George II could be described as a big, beefy man with a large face and bulk. On his hands he wore two gold rings with two different stones; one royal blue and one red. He also wore a robe to show his high social standing as the King of England. King George was more used to jellies in the shape of peacocks than the sight of a fleeing pirate, such as Jack Sparrow escaping his palace.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p18. Despite his kingship over Great Britain and Ireland, George Augustus also had claims to the throne of France, as witnessed by Lord Beckett's Letters of Marque.George, By the Grace of God of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland. Behind the scenes *King George II was played by the late Richard Griffiths in On Stranger Tides. *According to the DVD commentary of On Stranger Tides, Griffiths' casting was partly because Johnny Depp's admiration for his film ''Withnail and I''. Coincidentally, both Depp and Griffiths previously worked together in ''Sleepy Hollow''. *In the revision screenplay draft of On Stranger Tides, King George was meant to eat some of the food served at his table while talking with Jack Sparrow about the expedition to the Fountain of Youth.[http://www.wordplayer.com/archives/PIRATES4.intro.html Worldplayer: Revision draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides script] In the finished version of the film King George just sits on his seat but doesn't eat anything. *The scenes of King George II at the dining room of St. James's Palace along Prime Minister Henry Pelham and Lord John Carteret were stated to gave the film Barry Lyndon a run for the money in period authenticity and detail, thanks to Richard Griffiths' acting ability along being in company of Roger Allam and Anton Lesser, two great proclaimed Shakespearean actors.POTC4 Press Kit at Terms and Conditions of Use *In Terry Rossio's original script for Dead Men Tell No Tales a girl named Cora June (actually the villainous Sea Widow in disguise) mentions that Jack Sparrow once "vanished into thin air before the eyes of King George II".Pirates of the Caribbean DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES Screenplay by Terry Rossio *George II and Ferdinand VI of Spain are the first historical monarchs that appear in the ''POTC'' film series. *King George's wax seal shown in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Ultimate Sticker Book is actually the wax seal from New Carlisle, Canada.A unique provisional stamp, made in Gaspé ! Appearances *''The Price of Freedom'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow'' *''Enter... the Scarecrow!'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' **''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' (comic) *''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game'' Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide'' External links Notes and references de:George II. it:Giorgio II di Gran Bretagna pl:Jerzy II Hanowerski ru:Король Георг Category:British Empire Category:Kings Category:English Category:Inhabitants of London Category:Real-world individuals Category:Males